Opportunity
by Blahsadfeguie
Summary: If anyone got tired of life and their own worries and hardships, there was never a place they could go to get away from it all. Until now. Bob may have failed as a trainer, but was it really worth leaving everything behind and entering a new world?
1. Chapter 1: Welcome

**Don't mind me, I'm just gonna stick this story out in the open and see if anyone questions why it exists.**

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Chapter 1: Welcome

It was somewhere in a remote field. The only landmark close-by was a small pond. Barely visible in the distance were four different places: a forest, an ocean, a cave, and a desert. The only living creature in this vicinity was a figure who had been lying on the ground for a few hours now, unconscious. Slowly, and with difficulty, he began to pick himself up off of the ground.

"Whoa," he said, "where am I?" He was trying to contemplate exactly what happened before he was knocked out, but his memories were all blank. Then, a vision surfaced.

_A long route connecting two major cities. A trainer sat on a wooden bench next to his long-time companion, Buizel. The trainer sighed. His career isn't going well; he's lost almost all of his gym battles and he just can't seem to get the hang of playing a leading role. He studied his three Poke Balls carefully, trying to decide if it would just be best for his Pokemon to find another trainer..._

_Suddenly, a strange noise made itself known from behind the trainer's back. He turned around. There was a large circular doorway floating in midair, pulsating different shades of purple, red, orange, and yellow. The trainer started to back away...and then he heard a voice._

_"Welcome to Dimension Number 2." The voice was so captivating, so calm and convincing that it seemed to beckon anyone who heard it. "Do you seek entertainment...excitement...enlightenment? Step into this portal, and you will enter a world of adventure and wonder beyond your wildest dreams. Leave all your worries behind and release your inhibitions in a world without consequence."_

_The trainer didn't have to think very hard about this one. A world with no rules? No consequences? A place where he could go just to leave everything behind and be free...? It was a dreamworld to him. Without thinking twice, he jumped right in._

The figure clutched his aching head. He felt very strange for some reason. His arms were stiff and felt rather stubby, like they couldn't fit around his head. His legs felt even shorter. He realized that he had a rather hard time turning his body around, like a strange power was forcing him to face a certain direction. Not to mention, he saw a very large red object that seemed to protrude from the middle of his face. He worked his way towards the center of the plain meadow, where the pond sat in contrast to all the green of the grass, making itself known. He stared into the surface of the water...

A Nosepass stared back.

This kind of sight would freak out anyone intelligent enough to differentiate a Nosepass from a human. And that is mostly everybody. So the Nosepass lost himself in his own confusion and shock and fell into the pond. The giant magnet floated on the surface, wobbling a bit, but correcting itself in the direction of North, towards the distant forest. He just sat there, floating towards this forest, thoughts racing every which way without any idea where they were going.

_What kind of dimension is this?! Why am I a Pokemon?! Where are all my other Pokemon?! What am I supposed to be doing here?! How do I get back?! _His questions continued in a similar pattern. He was only interrupted by a scream coming from the other side of the pond. Nosepass shifted his eyes and noticed a Pichu with a darker tone of skin then normal. But that's not what he noticed right away; it was the purple pirate's hat that it was wearing. That wasn't much of a pirate's scream that he heard just now. The Pichu was scrambling backward in disbelief. An interesting thought crossed Nosepass's mind: _Is this guy having the same problem I was just now? _By waddling his legs in the water, he was able to cruise slowly towards the opposite shore.

"Hey, buddy," called Nosepass from the pond. "Are you stuck here too?" The Pichu directed its surprised expression, unchanging, to Nosepass. "You jumped into a mysterious portal that sounded really convincing and you wound up here, turned into a Pokemon?"

Pichu calmed down a little bit. "Y-yeah," he said with a shaky, oddly low-pitched voice, "B-but what's h-happening? W-why am I a P-Pichu?"

Nosepass shrugged; or rather, tried to shrug. "I was a human too. I was just as surprised when I suddenly found out I was a Nosepass." Pichu didn't respond. "I think it's all part of the, er, 'excitement'. What better way to help a trainer forget about his worries than to turn him into an innocent animal and enter a peaceful world that lacks all the pressure of being a trainer?" Pichu looked a lot calmer now. Nosepass did too; having explained it out loud to himself, it didn't really seem too bad.

"Yeah, I guess so," Pichu couldn't help but agree. "When life gives you lemons..."

"Make lemon-maringue pie!" finished Nosepass.

"Yeah...I guess that's even better than lemonade!" Pichu was smiling now. "My name's Daniel Imi Even, but you can call me Dan."

"And I'm Bob Sladfigy. But you can call me Mr. Cheese."

The two stared at each other in silence. Dan tilted his head. "Mr. Cheese?"

"No," said Bob dully. "Just call me Bob...yo!"

And there they were, two friends stranded in the same boat out to sea. Each of them were thinking of the kind of stuff that two friends could do together in such a strange new world. And then Bob realized that he was still in the pond.

"Oh, uh, you mind helping me out a little?" said Bob.

Dan complied. He tried as hard as he could to get the 200-pound nose out of the water, but he slipped and fell over, his pirate hat landing beside him. He put his hat back on and tried again. This time, he lifted Bob with such ease that he fell backward again. Bob was out of the water.

"Gee, you can be really strong when you're serious about it," said Bob in awe.

But Dan wasn't paying attention. He was busy staring at the entity that actually did most of the musclework. Bob followed Dan's stare and found himself wishing he had a jaw to drop.

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**AN: A mostly unknown author steps out of nowhere and comes up with a story for an enormously popular category. Will he get ignored or idolized? Will he get any reviews or even favorites and alerts? I guess we'll all find out sooner or later.**

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	2. Chapter 2: Prophecy?

**Now to continue this story that nobody cares about...**

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Chapter 2: Prophecy?

Bob and Dan found themselves face to face with an enormously huge Magikarp. It took up the whole pond and was easily bigger than three Onix straightened and lined up head-to-tail. The skyscraping fish looked at the two new arrivals with menacing eyes that seemed to glow an evil shade of red.

"I AM THE SPIRIT OF GATEWAY MEADOW," it boomed in a ferocious voice. "WHAT BUSINESS DO YOU HAVE HERE?"

Bob looked at Dan, who was trembling slightly, wide-eyed. Bob wasn't quite as afraid. Sure, it was a monstrous behemoth, but it was just a Magikarp. His logic was that if Magikarp were normally useless, they'd have to be as big as this one to actually stand a chance in a battle. And since it's two against one...they've got this covered!

"We're humans from, er, Dimension Number 1," explained Bob. "A portal appeared out of nowhere and we were drawn into it."

"HUMAN..." the Magikarp replied thoughtfully. "THEN YOU MUST ANSWER THIS QUESTION TRUTHFULLY: AS A HUMAN, DID YOU POSSESS A BUIZEL?"

Bob was somewhat surprised by this question. "Why, yes, I did..." he said. "But why do you ask?"

"I SEE," said the Magikarp. "DID YOU ALSO OWN A PACHIRISU AND AN ABRA?"

Bob was also startled. "Um...yes." What does this spirit know about him...?

"VERY WELL THEN...WHAT IS YOUR NAME?"

"Bob Sladfigy," said Bob, unsure if he should really be playing along with this.

Magikarp was taken aback. "BOB SLADFIGY...THE VERY SAME NAME."

Dan jumped in front of Bob, now much more curious than scared. "Same as what? What's Bob going to do?" he asked excitedly. Bob only nodded; he was about to ask the same thing.

The massive Magikarp cleared its throat. "THERE IS A PROPHECY. A PROPHECY THAT TELLS OF AN EVIL FORCE EMERGING FROM AN UNKNOWN PLACE AND CLAIMING ABSOLUTE RULE OVER THE LAND. THIS EVIL DICTATOR WILL BRING MUCH PAIN AND SUFFERING TO OUR PEOPLE. LEGEND TELLS OF A NOSEPASS NAMED BOB SLADFIGY THAT WILL STAND UP TO THIS DEMON AND SLAY IT, RETURNING PEACE TO ALL LIVING BEINGS. YOU, MY FRIEND, ARE THE CHOSEN ONE."

Bob was even more surprised than all of the previous instances of shock that occured in the last two minutes put together. He went from a chump to a chosen one in less than a day. Being a hero was always his childhood dream, but after such a failed life, was he ready to just jump into the spotlight like that and be depended on by an entire world?

Dan was hopping all over the place. "Hey, hey, do I have a spot in the prophecy?! Am I gonna be a hero too?!"

The spirit glanced at the hyper little mouse with an annoyed eye. "AND JUST WHAT IS YOUR NAME, PICHU?"

"Daniel Imi Even."

Magikarp let out a booming laugh that seemed to echo off of the sky and create an eerie aftershock. "DANIEL IMI EVEN WAS THE PREDICTED TO BE THE HERO'S UNDERAPPRECIATED SIDEKICK WHO DOES NOTHING BUT STAND THERE AND TRY TO HOG ALL THE GLORY. DO US ALL A FAVOR AND DON'T EVEN TRY IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Before he could say anymore, a thunderbolt fell from the cloudless sky and completely obliterated the fish. It fell back into the pond, totally blackened and unconscious if not dead. Bob looked around confusedly and saw Dan with a trace amount of discharging electricity surrounding him, not to mention a trace amount of discharging anger. "_No _onemocks_ me _and gets away with it," he said with a serious tone.

Bob panicked. "You just zapped the spirit of Gateway Meadow!" he cried. "Do you have _any_ idea how much trouble we're in right now?"

"Do _you_?"

"...No."

They stared at each other for a while. Dan finally said, "Did you even believe that cliché load of bullcheese, anyway?"

Bob looked at the ground shamefully. "...Kinda."

Dan sighed. "Come on, _hero," _he mused mockingly, "let's find us a demonic dictator to slay."

As if on cue, an intangible Gengar popped up from below the ground directly in front of Bob and Dan. "BOOO! Weheheh!!" it screamed and laughed with a very creepy and demonic noise. Bob was so startled he fell over on his back. Dan simply hopped backward. "I am an evil force of evilness and I am going to take over the world!!" the apparition continued.

It was Bob's turn to react. From his lying-down position, his nose pointing straight at the Gengar, he was able to fire a Zap Cannon for a direct hit. It came out as a wide laser blast with an epic sound that could've been the finishing blow to an evil overlord. And, given the context, it fit in just fine. The ghost screeched and retreated back into the ground with a dramatic flourish. A cheesy victory fanfare played, almost like a horrible kazoo duet, and it started to rain confetti. Some went up Bob's massive nose.

"A...A...ACHOOOO!!" he sneezed. Another Zap Cannon fired, just the same as before. There was no target this time around, unless you count the confetti which, from that point on, ceased to exist. Bob slowly worked to his feet again. "That was weird."

A few moments of silence passed, as if the dimension was trying to improvise, and suddenly the kazoo duet rang out again. This time, they were playing a full-blown victory tune (which one would recognize from a certain popular game franchise). Dan pinpointed the source of the horrible music and marched over to a couple of bushes bordering the forest. The music stopped, there were a few squeals, and Dan was seen heading back, a satisfied look on his face. He hopped on top of Bob like he was some kind of ridable elephant. "Come on, Nose Man, let's go explore that forest before something else weird happens."

Bob waddled forward, he and his rider now with more insight as to what this world is made of.

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**This story must be updated daily if the unknown author is even thinking about getting it noticed. What has the popular world of Pokemon come to...?**


	3. Chapter 3: Throwing Stuff

**I'm much more proud of this chapter. I hope you enjoy reading it like I enjoyed writing it.**

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Chapter 3: Throwing Stuff

The duo entered the forest cautiously. Normal-looking trees surrounded them on either side. It was a very calm place; it seemed perfectly harmless. But after their previous encounters (however short and few) they know not to trust anything at all.

"You know, it doesn't seem like anything bad could ever happen here," Bob couldn't help but state.

"The forest is trying to trick you," said Dan. "This entire world is a dungeon filled with traps and troubles. You never know when something dangerous is just going to fall out of the sky."

At that moment, something fell from the sky and hit him on the head. It was a light object, not hard enough to do any damage and certainly not deadly. Bob picked it up and handed it to Dan. "It looks like an Oran berry," he said. Which was true. It was a small round and orange berry that would grow naturally even in the real world. Bob and Dan looked up to find a large Oran tree looming over them. What a coincidence that it happened to drop a berry on Dan's head. While they were pondering this, another berry fell out of the tree and happened to bonk him in about the same spot. Only this time, he barely caught a glimpse of a retreating shadow among the trees.

"Did you see that?" said Dan, rubbing his noggin. "Someone's in that tree."

WHUNK! WHUNK! WHUNK! Before he could say anything more, Bob was pounding the tree mercilessly with his rock-solid head. More Oran berries of all shapes and sizes rained all over the place. Along with the rain, a Mankey fell out of the tree, stunned and angry.

"Hey!" said the Mankey. "What do you think you're doing?! This is MY forest! No trespassing!" It started to pick up some of the berries and fling them at Bob and Dan. Bob stood in one place and the berries simply bounced off. Dan hid behind him.

After a while, Bob decided to throw something back. It happened to be a barrage of sharp Stone Edge rocks. Mankey realized that his ammunition was far inferior to his foe's, so he fled. "You'll be sorry you messed with me!" he shouted in haste. "I'll tell my uncle!!"

Bob and Dan looked at each other worriedly, but there was no where to go but forward. So, they took it as a bluff and moved on. However, not much farther, another object bounced off of the poor Pichu's head. It felt smaller and harder than before. Bending over, he found it was a marble. As soon as he realized this, yet another object fell, only this one was a cinder block. Thank goodness it was a tad off target.

Dan looked up nervously and saw a Primeape sitting in a tree that grew all sorts of random objects, from pizzas to horseshoes to microscopes, there was almost nothing that the tree didn't have. And now, Primeape was throwing everything, including the kitchen sink! Dan danced all over the ground, trying desperately to dodge especially the heavy stuff and missing the grand piano by a half-inch.

Bob just sat there and let his built-in hard hat deflect the projectiles. An economy-sized bouncy ball happened to be the next thing to fall on his rock-solid skull, which bounced straight back with almost no momentum loss and beaned the Primeape in the face. It fell out of the tree and landed hard on a brick he had thrown previously. It slowly got to its feet. Enraged, it held up two apple pies it was holding the moment before the fall and tossed one at Bob. The target stepped to the left and let the pie fly behind him and hit Dan instead. Now Dan was mad. He picked up a snowball and threw it at the Primeape, which was a lot more solid than he anticipated. As the snow slid off the pig-monkey's face, it realized that the snowball contained a hammer.

Then the fight was on. Dan got behind a coffee table and Primeape ducked behind a large watermelon as they angrily traded projectiles of all shapes and sizes. Bob watched in astonishment. A metal spoon flew right across his nose, which became magnetically attracted and stuck like glue. Bob tried to pry it off, but his arms were too short and stiff to reach. So he rubbed his nose against a tree, which happened to be the random object tree. It began to rain even more objects, and finally, an anvil fell and hit the Primeape, knocking it out-cold. Dan kept on throwing stuff, unaware that he had already won by default. Bob picked him up, placed him on his head, and continued walking without saying a word.

Dan put down the goblet he had picked up and was drinking from, which contained a tasty fruit punch. "My boy," he began, "we make a great team, don't we?" Bob nodded his head in response. Dan fell off of the nodding head, spilling all of his punch. "Oh ship!" he cried. "I should make you scrub all the floors in Hyrule for that!"

"Stop talking like you're some kind of king," said Bob. "We're equals here."

Dan threw his goblet aside and mounted his Nosepass again. "Yeah...I guess so."

About fifteen minutes later, another Mankey came out of the trees and blocked Bob's path. "Hold it!" it said angrily. "We won't let you get away with what you did!"

About twenty Mankey and Primeape came from the other trees and bushes and surrounded the human duo. Bob started to panic. A very large Primeape stepped forward. It must've been the ringleader. "You've gone too far, fools!" it shouted. "If you want to leave this forest alive, you better do it through the way you entered. Or else me and my gang will show you another way to leave the forest."

The leader's cronies were pounding their fists. Some of them were jumping up and down with angry excitement. Bob looked up at Dan. "Dude...I think we better get out of here."

Dan didn't look very afraid. "Don't worry, Nose-bro. I have a plan." He whispered something to Bob, whose eyes started to widen. Dan stood up on top of Bob's head. "Come and get us, then! I dare you!" he taunted. Bob looked a little uncertain. The gang of Mankey and Primeape, overflowing with rage, immediately rushed at Dan and Bob. Dan started charging up electricity, and fired a Thundershock...aimed at Bob! Bob took the electricity like fuel and exploded with an intense Discharge that KO'ed every monkey on contact.

Bob was flabbergasted by the amount of power that attack generated. "Whoa!" he said. "That was so cool! We gotta remember that technique!"

Dan was proud with himself. "Yep, I learned that move in the real world. I used it in a double battle with my Rotom and my Porygon. It was the finishing blow!"

Bob looked at the ground sadly. "You must've been a successful trainer..."

"Yeah, I was the envy of all my friends and rivals." He glanced at Bob. "What's the matter?"

Bob sighed. "Well...I used to be a trainer, but I was horrible. My Pokemon wouldn't take me seriously, and they got trampled by almost any other trainer I fought. I only won one gym battle out of seventeen, and even then it was pure luck. And to top it all off, no one was willing to help me. They said I'd be a waste of their time. I almost considered giving up my Pokemon career...and then this dimension offered me an escape. But what does this place have to offer? I'm no better off than I was before..."

Dan felt the emotion in his companion's voice. "Well Bob," he softly replied, "at least you have me."

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**Ahh, emotional stuff. If makes one feel like this story has a meaning. Well, if you enjoy stories with meanings and morals, then more power to you!  
**


	4. Chapter 4: No Longer Lonely

**Wow, I thought this one was a lot shorter than usual but it's actually one of the single longest chapters in all my stories combined. Oh well. It's an update. And that means you have to read it. Wahahaha.**

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Chapter 4: No Longer Lonely

Dan's words had made Bob feel a whole lot better. He decided to continue forward, and now that he had a lot of weight off his chest, he found himself able to focus on the more predominant factor in his personality: his insanity. After a few short minutes of walking, Bob's microscopic attention span kicked in and he began to hum a song. This song was actually _very_ annoying, and Dan was attempting to rip his ears off of his head; or at least make him feel like it.

"What the bull are you singing?" questioned Dan angrily.

"I'm technically humming," remarked Bob calmly, without much pause to his song.

"Well, can you stop humming?! It's getting on my nerves!"

"Oh, I get it. You're dying to know the words to the song because you're delighted by the melody and you haven't heard it before." Bob cleared his throat.

"W-wait!" shouted Dan nervously. "Don't sing it!"

Too late. Bob began to sing as loud as he could, as if the whole forest was his audience. The sheer volume made the words practically incoherent. His voice was horrible. It was enough to wake up a Snorlax and make him swallow the owner of the voice whole. Dan was having an induced seizure trying to get the wailing Nosepass to shut up. He pounded his fists in every possible place.

When the singer reached the off-key and ear-splitting chorus, Dan was going out of his mind. He ran as fast as he could to the nearest Random Object Tree, plucked from it a giant mallet, and returned to smash him in the head with it. The plan backfired, however, as the hammer took a counter-vibration which traveled throughout the little Pichu's body like in an old cartoon. Bob stopped singing for a moment and turned around.

"Hey...did I just feel something?" He saw Dan, utterly stunned from a combination of the vibrations and the sudden peace and quiet. He fell over, stiff as a board. Bob took the mallet from his frozen fingers and examined it with much interest. He completely forgot about his unfinished song as he proceded to hammer the ground violently. It would've registered about 3 points on the Richter scale. The shaking was enough to cause another object to fall from the hammer's tree of origin, which was a golf ball. There was a small clunking noise and a slight cry of pain. Bob put down his mallet in curiosity and made his way over to where he heard the noise.

As he approached the shrubbery, there was a hasty rustling sound. Whatever was there certainly did not want to be discovered. Bob thought about following the rustling, but there was no way he could catch up to it in this bulky form. He went back to retrieve his friend.

"Hey, buddy, are you awake?" said Bob quietly. "I think someone is watching us."

Dan wearily arose. "Wow, I feel shaky all over. How thick can a skull like yours get?"

Bob failed to identify this as an insult and continued urging the fellow. "Maybe we should check it out."

Dan snapped out of his dizzy state and took Bob seriously. "Ok, where do you think they're hiding?" Bob raised his straight arm at the bushes near the base of the Random Object Tree. Dan began to think. "We better sneak up on them," he whispered. "I'm sure they're either timid or out to get us, so it should work either way." Dan scuttled out of sight of the bush area and discreetly climbed the opposite side of the tree. He slowly peeked over the side of one of the branches and noticed a green and white figure peeking cautiously from the other side of the tree trunk. Dan silently searched the tree for something to contain it. Being light and agile, he was able to get around the tree without much noise. After a few moments, he came across a laundry basket. He plucked it from the branches. Then, after a bit more searching he noticed a toolbox, which he grabbed as well. After moving the items he found to the proper positions and checking up on the spy, he waved to get Bob's attention.

Bob saw movement from the top of the tree and looked up to find Dan. Before he could say anything, Dan raised his finger to his mouth to silence him. He then dropped the laundry basket. It fell upside-down right on top of the figure, creating a cage. Before it could do anything, Dan dropped the toolbox, the weight creating a solid confinement that Bob himself couldn't escape. Dan hopped out of the tree, motioning for Bob to join him.

The captive was a Ralts, and a very timid one at that. Bob and Dan could tell that this was a female. They approached calmly towards their silent prisoner, who backed against the opposite side of the basket. Her head and face were dotted with miniscule beads of sweat as she wondered what was going to happen to her next.

Bob was the first to speak. "Hi there," he said, trying his very best to sound friendly and not intimidating. "I see you like to sneak around and watch people..."

The Ralts did not respond.

Dan stepped forward. "Look, I know you are feeling very uncomfortable and awkward right now, but so are we with this dimension in general. We took you as a sort of threat. You see, we've already been attacked by a Gengar, not to mention a group of angry Mankey and Primeape. We're unsure if _anything _can be friendly here. So we're just being defensive, that's all."

Ralts nodded her head with an almost undetectable gesture.

Bob had an idea. "By the way, we're not from around here. We're from the other dimension; the 'real' world; we're humans."

The Ralts looked only slightly taken aback by this, but it was enough to suggest that she was human as well.

Dan chuckled. "So you're in the same boat as us, eh? My name's Dan, and this nosehead over here is Bob. Together, we can look for a way out of here."

Ralts gave an expression of comprehension. "My name is...Jennifer," she said almost inaudibly.

Bob looked victorious. "Well, if you're not intending to harm us, then we'll just let you go." Dan complied by climbing on top of the laundry basket so he could remove the heavy toolbox. He stepped off of it again as he and Bob lifted the plastic cage off of Jennifer.

"Ok, Jennifer," said Dan, "Welcome to the crew."

"Hey, I wonder, are you any good at espionage? Spy missions?" wondered Bob. "That could be useful."

"Um...I couldn't really say..." squeaked Jennifer.

"Well, how long were you watching us? We didn't know you were there until I accidentally made that golf ball fall on your head."

Jennifer rubbed her head like she had just been hit with the ball again. "I don't know...thirty minutes?"

"Ha! It's like you weren't even there!" Bob laughed. "You sure know how to keep quiet."

"Hey, you could take my seat on the mount if you want," said Dan, motioning to Bob's head.

"No thanks," said Jennifer in her tiny voice.

"Very well then," Dan said with a hop landing neatly on his seat, "We're off. Try to keep up!" Bob took off as slow as a Shellos, waddling like some kind of drunken nose-rock. It was too ironic. Jennifer couldn't help but utter an indiscernible giggle as she trotted along silently, taking up the rear.

A short while later, the three amigos arrived at a three-way fork in the road. Bob stopped, and Jennifer shortly after, looking around. Dan glanced between the three paths. Up ahead was a couple of tall mountains capped in snow, although it was quite a distance. To the left was a small clearing, and a couple of blue silhouettes were prancing about it for some inexplicable reason. To the right was a rather large building with multiple implements attached. "Hmmmm," said the Pichu. "Well, let's take a vote. Where do you wish to go?"

Bob hesitated. "I think we should go to the clearing. That building looks scary."

Jennifer thought silently. "I agree," she said.

"Clearing it is, then!" exclaimed Dan. He shifted his pirate hat like he thought he was Napoleon. He pointed to the west. "Onward!"

"Right-o, sir!" replied Bob with a salute. He waddled in the direction of his partner's finger.

Jennifer noted the enthusiasm of the two friends. She could tell they haven't known each other long, yet they were close as brothers. If there was one good thing about this dimension, among all the mayhem and mischeif that happened on an hourly basis, it was that it brought people closer together.

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**More action next chapter, believe me. These three won't know what hit them. Oh, and by the way, I feel like I'm talking to myself here. Do I have an audience? I must know! Oh well, at least I'm finding a way to entertain myself through writing.  
**


	5. Chapter 5: Only in the Movies, Kiddo!

**All right, I felt better for this chapter. Now is when things get interesting. Chex it.**

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Chapter 5: Only in the Movies, Kiddo!

The clearing was fairly close to the fork, so Bob, Dan, and Jennifer reached it in little more than 5 minutes. As they approached the center, light was reflecting around the place, suggesting that there was a lake in the middle of the clearing. A Marill and an Azumarill were chasing each other around it.

"You can't catch me!" laughed the Marill.

"Silly!" called the Azumarill. "I'm older, and that makes me faster!"

"Huh...I guess some can find ways to have fun here," commented Dan.

Bob just stood there and watched. "I want to join them, but I'm just too slow..."

"That's so you," said Dan. "Always wanting to fool around. Can't you be serious for just a second?"

Jennifer was staring at the lake. Suddenly, the center began to burst with bubbling. The others didn't notice, including the playing Marill and Azumarill.

"Sure, I can be serious," continued Bob, "seriously distracted."

"Um...guys? There's something in the lake..." spoke Jennifer.

"If you don't focus, we'll never get anything done," said Dan, not listening to her. "Thank goodness you're a sluggish hunk of rock and not a peppy Pachirisu or something."

The bubbling grew more violent. The water-types apparently couldn't hear it over their own laughter.

"All the better to crush you and your incessant nagging with," threatened Bob.

Dan became angry. "You see this?" he said, pointing to the skull on his signature pirate hat. "If you wanna tussle, you'll find out exactly why I deserve to wear this emblem."

A very large and round thing was approaching the surface of the lake. Jennifer looked a bit worried. "Bob...Dan...you may want to look at this..."

Before she could find out if they actually noticed her this time, the thing that caused the bubbling surfaced. It was Kyogre! "WHO DARES TRESPASS IN MY LAKE?!" yelled the legendary Pokemon. Its powerful voice caused the Marill to trip, and Azumarill stopped in fright and turned slowly to face it. "THIS IS A SACRED LAND. NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO COME HERE!"

Marill didn't dare to pick herself up. Azumarill started to back away. "S-sacred?" he stuttered. "W-we didn't know!"

Of course, Bob and Dan could not pass on such a sight. Bob looked frightened, Jennifer was intimidated, and Dan was studying the scene with a protecting interest.

"I CANNOT ALLOW YOU TO RAID THE TREASURE OF THE LAKE!" Kyogre continued.

"W-we don't want the t-treasure! We were just p-playing! P-please don't h-hurt us!"

"YOU ARE JUST COMMON THIEVES! THEREFORE YOU MUST BE ELIMINATED!" Kyogre leaped out of the water in a divine rage. Azumarill was frozen in fear. Marill was sitting up now, also frozen.

"You can't harm them!" cried Dan, fearless, from the sideline. "They were innocent! Let them go!"

Kyogre briefly gave an odd glance to a tree near the edge of the clearing. Looking back at Dan, he boomed once more, "DO NOT DO ANYTHING FOOLISH, YOUNG NAIVE ONE. STAY OUT OF THIS OR I WILL BE FORCED TO ELIMINATE YOU AS WELL!"

"Try me!" said Dan, releasing a bolt of thunder at the Kyogre. The legend wailed in pain and collapsed into the lake. Marill and Azumarill stared at Dan dumbfoundedly.

Suddenly, an upset voice came from the tree near the outside. "Cut! Cut cut cut!!" it said. "What do you think you're doing?!" A Machoke with a beret stepped into everyone's view.

"Who is that?" questioned the Marill. "What's he doing here?"

As Dan was about to try and answer her, Machoke spoke up again. "I don't know, but I want him off of my set right now before he ruins the entire movie!"

Dan looked around. Bob and Jennifer were confused. Everyone noticed for the first time a bunch of movie equipment, including lights and cameras, partially hidden by the trees.

"...This was a movie?" said Dan. "It looked real to me!"

"Ooh! A movie! I wanna be in it!" said Bob, hopping up and down excitedly.

Machoke was outraged. "Yes this is a movie, and NO, none of you guys can be in it!"

Azumarill sighed. "I'll be in my trailer...this could take a while." Marill easily decided to join him as they both moved into a small barely visible path to the side.

"Sorry," said Dan. "I thought that it was real and two innocent youngsters were wrongly accused of being thieves and were about to be beaten down. I was just instinctively trying to help them."

"Yeah, by zapping one of our best actors," said Machoke. "He better be all right."

A Ditto surfaced from the lake and climbed on the shore. "Oi...what just happened?"

"Again, I'm very sorry," said Dan. "We'll be out of here now..."

Bob was still very excited. He wanted to know more about the movie. "Hey, what's this movie gonna be called? What's it about? When is it coming out? Is there really a treasure in the lake?"

"Bob..." warned Dan.

Ditto seemed keen to talk about it. "It's called Crystal Lake. It's about two siblings, Marill and Azumarrill, who stumble across this lake and explore it in search of the treasure. We're hoping to complete it by next year. The movie is based on a myth that a vast and valuable treasure lies at the bottom, treacherous part of the lake, but no one has ever dared to go that far."

Machoke glared angrily at Ditto. "Did I say you could answer them?"

Bob was completely fascinated. "Wow! I wanna search for that treasure!" Dan shot an annoyed look at him, and Jennifer was tilting her head in thought.

Ditto paid no attention to his ranting director and kept chatting. "I'm afraid you can't dive in this lake without a special protective bubble. But if you really want to, I heard that Dr. Porygon develops them in his lab East of here."

Machoke had buried his face in his palm. "Well, at least we're not doing our underwater scenes in _this_ lake...You can check it out if you want, just stay out of our way on the surface!"

Dan nodded his head. "Very well, we'll respect your movie shootings and stuff from now on. C'mon team, let's go to Dr. Porygon's lab."

Bob shuddered a bit, remembering the creepiness of the building they had seen to the right of the fork. But he agreed to go.

"TREASURE!!" shouted Dan enthusiastically once they were on the road. "I bet there's a good chance of it! You may be on to something, Bob!"

Bob wasn't quite as enthusiastic. "I don't know. I mean, treasure would be nice, but I'm not sure if we can just jump out and trust some doctor we never heard of. For all we know, he could be a mad scientist intent on performing crazy, unethical experiments on whatever poor soul happens to walk by."

"Oh come on, I could take someone like that," assured Dan.

"I hope you're right..." said Jennifer, sharing Bob's feelings of doubt.

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**Oh boy, sunken treasure and mad scientists! I don't know about you, but I love where this story is going. I'm starting to like this unknown artist, hahaha.  
**


	6. Chapter 6: Evil Fried Eggs

**Oh hi. Today I will tell you a tale of a demonic breakfast. I hope you had a good one this morning, because this one is evil.**

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Chapter 6: Evil Fried Eggs

Despite all their worry and fear, the trio pressed onward and found themselves standing in front of a very large building. It was 4 stories high and had all sorts of weird-looking machines attached to some of the sides, including two satellite dishes and three antennae on top. The golden double doors stood proudly in front like a gateway to Heaven. In the end, the place didn't look too spooky up close.

"Hey, it doesn't look too bad," said Bob.

"You never know..." said Jennifer.

"Stop being so paranoid," said Dan, walking up to the doors and pressing the doorbell. An elaborate and friendly-sounding tune played in bells. A few seconds later, the door opened and there stood a Porygon.

"Yes? Who is it?" said the Porygon in a hasty tone. He must've been in the middle of something important.

"Dr. Porygon, I presume?" questioned Dan. "I was told you make special bubbles for underwater travel?"

"Why, yes, I do. I take it you need to borrow a few of them?"

"Sure, if you'd be so kind."

"Well, come on in, all of you! I was in the middle of an intriguing experiment...The whole thing's quite puzzling."

Bob looked at Jennifer and exchanged shrugs. They followed Dan and Dr. Porygon into the lab. The rooms were filled with all sorts of peculiar machinery and chemistry, the kind of stuff that any curious mind (like Bob unrestrained) would have a ball exploring. They were finally led into a room that resembled a kitchen and had many common appliances.

"This is a test room?" said Bob. "It looks like a dining room!"

"Well," began Porygon, "It's really more a matter of what I'm studying. Take a look."

Porygon motioned to a frying pan on the stove. Dan, Bob, and Jennifer gathered around it and saw an egg frying on the pan. The egg had two yolks side-by-side each with a small black dot in the middle. The white was creased slightly above the yolk in a way that, together, looked almost like two angry eyes.

"It won't fry any more than this, no matter how long or at what temperature," said Porygon. "I got it out of a large red egg. I first scanned it for embryo and found nothing, so I thought it might make a good breakfast."

"Red eggs for breakfast?" wondered Dan. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Bob found something very odd about the frying egg. He looked in on it real close... Suddenly, the egg leaped out of the frying pan and perched itself on Bob's eyes with its scorching and slimy self! Bob started to run all over the room, screaming "My eyes are being attacked by evil fried eggs! Oh, and it burns!!"

Everyone stared at him in horror. Dr. Porygon, thinking quickly, rushed to a cabinet and produced a large spatula. He then attempted to pry the yolk loose from Bob's face, but surprisingly, the eggs flopped right onto the spatula. Porygon looked at it for a confused moment before the eggs once again jumped from its spot and landed over Porygon's eyes. From that point on, everyone's actions lost all meaning. Dan went for the eggs next, using his bare hands, but the eggs went straight for him. Jennifer tried to step back and avoid all contact with the bad breakfast, but the sightless Dan had to come a little too close and he passed her the eggs like a baton. Jennifer dropped to the ground immediately--man was that thing HOT! It was like putting your face down on an oven burner!

Porygon had left the room to retrieve a beaker from his chemistry closet and swiped it at the ferocious food item. The eggs leaped right into the beaker and Porygon swiftly capped it with a lid. The egg realized its mistake too late and started to hop around madly within its prison, desperately trying to break free. The others joined Porygon in a sigh of relief. "Come with me," he said. "I'll treat all those burns."

After Porygon applied a Burn Heal to everyone's face including his own, Bob had no choice but to complain. "What the heck were you doing frying such a death meal?! My life flashed before my eyes! I moved towards the light!"

Porygon was startled by Bob's tone. "Hey, I had no idea that those eggs were evil! But now that I know it, I'll never fry eggs again, even if they were normal eggs!"

"Where exactly did you find that egg?" questioned Dan.

"I went to the Imposing Mountains a few days ago to do some research on mountain climates," he began. "At the base of the mountain I found a small cave, and lying in front of the cave was that red egg. Now I pondered why there was an egg just sitting there, abandoned like that, so I took it. But I'm probably not going near that cave again."

"So, about those bubbles..." said Dan.

"Oh, right. Well, I could show them to you. The only problem is, if you're looking for three of them I'm sorry to say I only have two available."

"Um..." Dan looked at his friends. "I think we can manage...anyone here want to sit out?"

Bob shook his head (or in this case his whole body). "No way! I must have that treasure!!"

Jennifer looked at the ground. "Um, I kinda want to go, too, if that's all right..."

Dan looked back and forth between Bob and Jennifer. "Are you serious? But what will I do?"

"Hey, you're an Electric type," said Bob. "If you use an attack underwater, you'll zap everyone!"

"True...Fine, you two are better equipped than me. Unless I go alone, that is..."

Bob gave him an angry glare. Dan decided to take his statement back.

Dr. Porygon finally led them to a room with many small devices on tables, including a few pairs of red sunglasses, a green electronic hammer, a device with an antenna, and two tiny pink balls that looked like bubble gum. Porygon went over to the two gumballs and cleared his throat. "These are what I call 'Pink Bubbles'. You see, ordinary bubbles exist in nature that surround anyone that touches one and allows them to travel in any environment such as water, extreme heat and cold, and so on. But it was fundamentally flawed; it was somewhat fragile and the user was unable to interact with objects or use any moves. So, I genetically modified it to create this. The Pink Bubble surrounds the user, conforming to his or her exact body shape and allowing them to use any technique as if they were not wearing it. It also is virtually indestructible. So, if you want to try them out, please touch one."

Bob and Jennifer did as they were told. Each of them touched a bubble, which instantly surrounded them just as Porygon described. Both of them barely felt a thing.

"Neat!" said Bob. "Now I can go underwater as I please?"

"Yes you can," said Porygon. "Have a blast! Now, may I ask what you need to use them for?"

"We heard about this treasure in the lake to the West."

"Ah, I remember hearing about that. If you manage to find it, could you please return some of it to me so I may study it?"

"Sure, but remember that most of it is still ours!"

"Ok," said Dan, "so while they're out exploring the lake, can I stay here and look at all this cool stuff?"

"You certainly may," replied Dr. Porygon. "But you have to promise to help me test some of my machines. Don't worry, nothing is permanent, and you may benefit from some of it."

"Cool, what have I got to lose? I'll do it."

So, everyone had agreed on what they wanted to do next. Bob and Jennifer decided to meet Dan and Dr. Porygon back at the lab when they were finished. So, each of them said their goodbyes and headed off to discover new things...

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**I bet you all are hoping that you've seen the last of the evil fried eggs. Unfortunately, if that's the case, I have some bad news for you...MWAHAHAHA!!  
**


	7. Chapter 7: New Things

**Guess how many fans of this story I have on this site? One. Guess how many like to read it from other sites? About ten. And so, I'm never gonna give you up, Opportunity!**

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Chapter 7: New Things

To make a long (and/or boring) story short, Bob and Jennifer returned to the clearing with the lake. Machoke was sitting in a director's chair, fully visible this time, with sunglasses and a coffee mug. A couple of Machop were messing around with some scenery. It didn't appear that they were filming at this time.

"Hey, it's you losers," snapped Machoke right away. "I told you to stay off the set! Oh, nice pink skin by the way."

"Dude, don't get your muscles in a knot, we're just here to dive in the lake," said Bob.

"Fine. Make it snappy! We're set to film again in 5 minutes. Or at least as soon as these slowpokes finish setting up!"

The Machop were handling a box, and having much difficulty. What kind of heavy could it be to give a couple of musclemen trouble? "Hey, this thing is like uber heavy," whined one Machop. "Cut us some slack!"

"Hey, I'll have you know that back in my day..."

Bob ignored Machoke's raving rants and jumped into the lake. Jennifer followed suit. The angry barking voice of the director soon faded to nothing as water surrounded their eardrums. There they were, swimming and breathing like bonafide Water types.

"You know," said Bob, "I never thought I'd see a Nosepass in the water, swimming like this. And now, I am one! You'd think those things would be so clumsy and helpless underwater. How ironic!"

Jennifer giggled a bit to herself. It was indeed ironic, the sight of a such a big rock traveling through water so easily and gracefully.

The pink-skinned partners swam deeper and deeper, the bubbles comfortably cancelling the effects of aquatic pressure. Eventually they approached a small tunnel that looked no bigger than a watermelon. The rest of the lake was a relatively small enclosed area. It appeared as though this was the only way to go.

"...You think I'll fit in that?" wondered Bob.

Jennifer quickly compared the size of Bob's waist with the size of the hole. "No," she said bluntly.

Bob sighed. "Well, you know what this means."

"You'll be waiting for me, right?"

"...What are you talking about? I'll just force myself in. You got a hammer?"

"Hammer? Um, you're not seriously thinking of..."

"Of course! You know how bad it could be if you went in without me. The hammer has _got_ to work!"

Bob had a point. Jennifer looked around. "Well, I don't have a hammer, but maybe this will do?" She picked up a large club-shaped hunk of rock. "I'm not so sure about this..."

"Trust me," said Bob confidently as he wedged himself in the little hole, "I know what I'm doing. Now pretend I'm a nail!"

Jennifer had no choice but to comply. She whacked Bob's behind as hard as anyone could underwater (and the bubble helped significantly; Dr. Porygon thinks of everything!). A short crackle was heard. "Harder!" came Bob's muffled voice from the other side. She tried even harder, whacking and crackling until finally, just when Jennifer thought she was out of energy, there was a huge ringing _crack_! The wall that Bob was in started cracking up violently until many large chunks were seperated. The entire tunnel was now big enough to comfortably support two Bobs side-by-side.

"That's some fine arms you got there, missy!" said Bob gleefully. Jennifer was just too tuckered out to do much but follow him into the tunnel.

It stretched on for quite a distance; in fact, one might say it was at least a mile. But at long last, the Nosepass and Ralts emerged out of the other side.

What they saw next was simply astonishing. Before them, a giant city-like complex spread out across the watery horizon. The buildings were made of a crystalline material that reflected light from an unknown source and scattered it in seven different colors, blending together again in unseen fashions that played cheerfully with one's sense of sight. The lights moved across the landscape in a majestic display of aurora borealis. In the center of the city stood a massive crystal castle, belittling the other buildings both in size and style. In fact, all of the light in this underground underwater cavern seemed to eminate from the castle itself, like a submerged sun. Bob and Jennifer were struck senseless with awe; to them they had just discovered Atlantis.

"Whoa," was all Bob could say. And Jennifer could say still less. A long time passed as they soaked up the light like sponges, able to do naught but silently absorb the material that their superiors decide to thrust upon them.

"Could this be the treasure?" questioned Jennifer finally.

"I thought it would be more dangerous than this," replied Bob. "I mean think about it, the only protection this place had was the tiny hole in the wall. And we got in there pretty easily. It just seems too good to be true."

And right on schedule, a massive figure loomed over the both of them. "OUTSIDERS," it bellowed in an enraged tone, "LEAVE NOW OR ELSE YOU WILL DIE."

Bob studied it up and down. It was Kyogre; large as life and just as real. No Ditto tomfoolery this time around. "Well, that's putting it bluntly," he said. "What do you say, Jennifer, shall we run?" He was unhumanly calm.

"Let's," she replied in discreet panic as she followed Bob back into the tunnel. Kyogre didn't bother to chase them.

Halfway through the tunnel, Bob stopped to think. "You know, maybe we should keep exploring the city anyway. If Kyogre comes we can just tell him we're harmless tourists and hide whatever souvenirs we picked up."

"I don't think that will work..." said Jennifer.

"You're right. Maybe we should pretend we're Magikarp? Those dumb fish don't know any better anyway."

"You wouldn't make a very convincing Magikarp," stated Jennifer, staring at Bob's nose.

"Ok. Final option: we'll use fighting tactics that avoid putting ourselves in harm's way. You think you could try Hypnosis?"

"I could try, but I can't make any promises..."

"That's the spirit!! Now let's put a Sea Basin to sleep!!"

Bob turned around. Jennifer followed closely behind. They entered the dazzling crystal city once more. And just as before, Kyogre appeared with his intimidating and ominous presence.

"I HAVE WARNED YOU BEFORE," said the legendary impatiently. "THIS CITY IS OFF-LIMITS. YOU MUST LEAVE AND NEVER RETURN."

"You'll have to speak with my agent," said Bob, indicating Jennifer. She began to penetrate deep into Kyogre's subconscious with feelings of drowziness and fatigue. Like clockwork, the beast was lulled to sleep on the spot. "Perfect! Now let's loot what we can and get the heck outta here!"

Bob and Jennifer headed into the city of crystals. Most of the buildings were intact, but the fact that there were quite a few chips in the walls and such revealed that this city was no longer in use. Bob and Jennifer gathered fragments of the crystals that littered the sea floor. Eventually, they each had a generous armful of gemstones of assorted shapes and sizes.

"I wonder how much these are worth?" said Bob.

"I'd guess...a lot," responded Jennifer.

"Well, we've got enough. Let's vamoose."

Bob turned around towards the tunnel entrance, but stopped in mid-turn. The enchanting sight of the Crystal Castle was too much to ignore on the way. It was even more enthralling up close, the rainbow of colors shimmering in all directions and sparking many feelings of curiosity and awe. Bob dropped his hoarde in astonishment.

"But first...let's explore this castle."

* * *

**Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down...  
**


	8. Chapter 8: King of Krystal Kastle

**Forget Chapter 4...THIS chapter really takes the cake in terms of length! I guess I got into too much detail. Oh well, you must enjoy it if you managed to keep reading up to this point, no?**

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Chapter 8: The King of the Krystal Kastle

The doors of the castle were large and bold, and just as shiny as the rest of it. Bob pushed them open, but they fell off the hinges right away. The resulting crash echoed through the castle, and probably would've echoed through the entire city if water didn't slow down sound waves.

"Oops," said Bob sheepishly, "I broke it."

Jennifer rolled her eyes and followed him into the castle. The doorway opened into a great hall in which not one thing was made out of a material other than crystal. The walls, doors, pillars, and every other element of a castle's innards were shining with the transparent quartz. There were statues of various Pokemon in suits of armor and weilding weapons like swords, maces, and lances. Typically, one statue would be accompanied by an identical one directly across the hall, making the room symmetrical. There were two Bibarel, Zangoose, Combusken...Each of them were very detailed and artistic.

"Neat statues," said Bob. "Whoever made them must be very skilled."

"Hey...look at this," said Jennifer. She pointed to a statue on the left-hand side of the hall that resembled a Nosepass with an appropriately shaped helmet and a mallet instead of a normal medieval weapon. Directly across from that was not another Nosepass statue, but instead one of a Ralts with a loose-fitting leather armor, lack of a helmet, and in place of a weapon was a long and plain staff. Bob looked back and forth between the two.

"Wow," mused Bob. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say they correspond to us."

Then Bob noticed a third statue, standing next to his, of a Pichu with a pirate hat. It had no armor, but in its right hand was a curved sword like a scimitar, which complemented the pirate hat. Across from that statue was a pedestal that had nothing on it. Next to the blank statue and the statue of (obviously) Dan, there were two more sculptureless stands.

"What do you make of this?" questioned Bob. "Statues of me, you, and Dan, then three missing statues...what's up with that?"

"Somebody must be expecting us," inferred Jennifer. "But missing statues? I don't know..."

"Oh, it's probably nothing. Ooh, what's that?"

Bob saw a short pillar, about 2 feet tall, in the middle of the hall that wasn't there before. In top of the pillar was a lever. All of Bob's brain cells screamed to pull that thing at once, while all of Jennifer's urged her not to. Bob stepped up to it eagerly.

"Wait!" called Jennifer. But she didn't have to prevent Bob from doing anything, because his stubby little arms couldn't reach the lever anyway! He tried to swim above the pillar to stand on it and pull the lever, but it was tricky for a heavy rock to perch himself on top of a small pillar whilst underwater. He finally decided to give up after about twenty failed attempts. "You don't know what would happen if you pulled that," warned Jennifer. "Lucky for us, you can't reach...wait a minute!" Bob had ignored Jennifer's warnings and had pried the staff from her statue. He used it to poke the lever and shift it to the "on" position. No turning back now...

Nothing seemed to have happened. However, after a brief delay there was a wooshing sound as the water began to drain from the castle. Looking out of the open doorway, Bob and Jennifer noticed the whole underwater city was draining as well!

"Hah, that wasn't too bad," said Bob.

Suddenly, some doors on the opposite side of the hall burst open as several Pokemon filed in. They marched in two by two, and they looked exactly like the crystal knight statues; there were Bibarel, Zangoose, Combusken, and others. They surrounded the duo, preventing escape, and stood by, awaiting the rest of the knights to join them. Last in line was a single Milotic, the only one which was not portrayed in crystal form. Stunningly majestic and beautiful, like all Milotics were, it bore a large golden crown.

"You dare trespass in _my_ castle? _My_ kingdom?" snapped the Milotic in a voice fit for a protective king. "State your business, or I may throw you in the dungeon!"

Bob and Jennifer exchanged glances of utter confusion. What were these knights doing before the water was drained? "We are just ignorant travelers," said Bob finally, "and we happened to come across this castle by accident and curiosity. Please, if you'll let us go, we'll leave quickly and silently, and we will never come back."

Milotic chuckled bitterly. "Let you go? With the secret location of our kingdom soundly set into your unevolved little heads? Do you really think I'd trust a couple of outsiders to keep a priceless treasure secret? Not a chance! You are thieves with intentions of looting every last shard of crystal that you can get your greedy little paws around. Guards! Take them down!"

The legion of knights charged forward, showing no mercy. They didn't care if the thieves were exterminated, and they were certain the King wouldn't either. Bob reacted instantly and created a Rock Slide, covering a number of the knights. Jennifer twirled around in a graceful display of Magical Leaf, knocking out at least the Bibarel and a couple other Water types. But a Medicham had jumped up to Bob and delivered a devastating Force Palm, while a Sneasel assaulted Jennifer with Faint Attack. Both hits were very powerful and left their targets with backs against the floor. Bob was unable to get up due to the stubbiness of his limbs, and Jennifer had difficulty but managed.

"We can't do this," groaned Bob. His sturdy Nosepass body was able to withstand even a few super-effective attacks, but that was countered by the awkwardness of his body shape. "We are utterly doomed."

Jennifer looked very stressed, but after a moment she was struck with inspiration. "...Maybe not," she said. The Medicham was about to rush at Bob and attempt to shatter him with an Ice Punch. Jennifer used Psychic to shove Bob harshly into the Medicham before it knew what was coming. Bob didn't feel a thing, with the exception of a wave of new determination. He calmly endured each hit as Jennifer slung him around like a telekinetic mace, hammering each knight before they got close enough to even begin executing an attack.

"Pow!" shouted Bob as he pummeled a Pidgeotto into a far wall. He was really enjoying the ride. Jennifer, on the other hand, was starting to wear out. And just in time for a Raichu to step up, dodgier than any other adversary they had faced yet today. Jennifer tossed Bob at the Raichu, who easily stepped aside as Bob careered into a statue. Jennifer almost lost her balance from the sudden realization that she was thoroughly exhausted. Bob was a heavy thing to tote, after all.

As the Raichu propelled forward with the agility of a Quick Attack, Jennifer stood there, helplessly trying to catch her breath. More knights were swarming in to back up their fallen comrades. Bob had fallen on his nose and almost succeeded in standing upright again, but fell over clumsily on his back as he was approached by a Kingler. Our heroes had fought valiently, but it looked like they had met their match...

...when suddenly, a black and white vortex appeared, dropping a large round bomb striped with different shades of cyan. The bomb fell in the middle of the room and burst into a million shards of cold snow, covering every knight and encasing them in ice. All of the doorways were frozen solid, blocked by sheets of thick ice from the explosion. Jennifer and Bob were oddly unaffected; they were at least shivering at how cold the place had suddenly become. Unfortunately, Milotic was unaffected as well. The vortex disappeared as suddenly as it had spawned a few seconds earlier.

"What sorcery is this?" yelled Milotic in unspeakable rage. "All of my warriors are frozen solid!"

"Don't look at me," said Bob. "I'm as helpless as a Squirtle on its back."

"That was certainly random," stated Jennifer.

"Well then, looks like I have to finish you off myself!" Milotic looked at Jennifer with metiphorical redness in his eyes. "And since your friend is preoccupied, I shall start with you!" He began to inhale deeply, a blue pulsating energy flowing through him in preparation for a Hydro Pump. Bob signaled to Jennifer, and she set Bob on his feet with the last of her energy. Bob cancelled the King's charging energy by scoring a direct hit with his Zap Cannon.

"Blaaargh!" screeched the King in pain. "I'll see to it that you don't stay up for long!" He lifted his massive tail and whacked Bob with tremendous force. The Nosepass was too heavy to be sent flying, and instead slid along the ground a few feet. Bob took a hop forward as he sent a Stone Edge in his foe's direction. The stones sliced across the Milotic's eel-like body, causing him to reel in further pain. He got up quickly and released a Hydro Pump much more quickly now, due to his anger reaching its peak. Bob dove out of the way in a panic, sliding across the ice-covered floor and crashing into a supply cupboard. A blood red apple fell off of the top shelf and landed next to Bob's arm. The apple glowed with a dim red aura, as if flowing with energy. Without hesitation, he tossed it straight to Jennifer.

"Snacking at a time like this?" questioned Jennifer.

"Hey, you need to build strength," said Bob. "You know what they say: an apple a day keeps the doctor away. And stuff. Every little bit helps."

The water from Milotic's Hydro Pump was spreading, freezing on top of the light blanket that already covered all of the floor and making it a chilly mess. Jennifer ate the apple calmly, worried that Bob might have just wasted his time. But as soon as Jennifer took the first bite, she felt relieved with immediate new energy. She stared at the apple at disbelief, then began to eat it faster, regaining a significant amount of energy each time.

Milotic was closing in on Bob now. "No escaping from this one!" he shouted. Bob was cornered and could only watch as the King got ready to fire another Hydro Pump. Just as he was about to unleash the attack, he was surrounded in a cloud of Psychic energy. Jennifer was standing up now, lifting the foe and slamming him into the nearest statue. Milotic collapsed on the floor, fainted.

"Whoa, that apple worked quite nicely!" commented Bob.

"It must've been some kind of energy apple," Jennifer pointed out. "I feel good as new."

"Well, we better get the heck out of this castle and this lake before the other guards thaw out! But what was the deal with that bomb?"

"I have no clue. But whatever it was, just be thankful for it."

* * *

**I must ask once again...is anyone actually reading this thing? I'll take any reviews, even expressions of utter hatred if you have them. All I need is assurance that someone's reading this story. Would you do it for a poor, unpopular author that just wants some recognition in this world?  
**


	9. Chapter 9: Dan at the Lab

**Wahaha. I just had too much stuff to say. I hope it doesn't seem rushed...**

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Chapter 9: Dan at the Lab

"So, what you got to show off?" Dan asked to Porygon right after Bob and Jennifer had left for the lake.

"Oh, I have plenty of things," said Porygon. "I guess we could start small and work our way up."

"Oh boy!" cried Dan excitedly. Technology was always one of his interests, and if it originated from another dimension, who knows what kinds of exotic devices and doohickeys could be found here? Porygon led Dan into a room filled with many small machines, most of them resembling ordinary objects. He first brought his attention to a rack covered with neatly displayed pairs of red sunglasses.

"These are Scanglasses," explained Porygon. "Put them on and they will tell you some general information about the object or Pokemon you are looking at. Go ahead, give them a go."

Dan donned the sunglasses, which clashed strongly with his pirate hat. Through the lenses, he first looked at Porygon. Some electronic words typed out on the glasses, and Dan read them curiously:

_Name: Dr. Kevin Porygon_

_Origin: DN2; Grass Town_

_Forms: 1) Porygon P1217_

_Possessions: None of interest_

_Strong Point: Invention, Chemistry_

_Weak Point: Direct Battle_

"That's neat," said Dan. "But what does 'Forms: 1) Porygon P1217' mean?"

"Hmm? Oh, that's right, you don't know about Forms and Power yet," reasoned Porygon. "In this dimension, you can obtain multiple alter egos which you can shape-shift to at will, called Forms. It's the equivalent of owning more than one Pokemon in your dimension; shifting Forms is like switching out Pokemon. Power is a quantitative measurement of how strong that Form is. You can obtain Forms from Shift Pills, Form Vials or by using a Thief Hammer which I will show you in a little while. Power accumulates through battling or performing challenging tasks."

"Ah! So, if I get another Form, I can turn into another Pokemon whenever I want?"

"You sure can."

"Neat!"

"Come along, plenty to see." Porygon opened a storage room filled with three-foot-long lime green hammers. "These are Thief Hammers. If you've weakened an opponent enough, you can whack them with this and steal their current Form, claiming it as your own. It's like a reusable Pokeball. Usually, the success rate of the hammer is dependant on how weak the opponent is, and how hard you hit them with it."

Dan snatched a Thief Hammer from its hanger and started swinging it around. It was fairly heavy. Porygon chuckled. "Yes, they can be hard to get used to at first. But they are very useful in the end, no?"

"You bet," said Dan with an everlasting enthusiasm. "What else have you got?" He put the hammer back.

Porygon brought Dan to a table upon which sat many black helmets, each with a small antenna protruding from the center of its top. "These are Tutor Helmets. Just like TMs and HMs in your homeworld, they will invoke a particular move upon the wearer. The only difference is that any Pokemon can learn any move! The time it takes to learn depends on the compatibility on the move's type with the user's." He handed Dan one of the helmets. "Try this on."

Dan removed his pirate hat and eagerly replaced it with the Tutor Helmet. It felt awkward and weighty. Porygon opened a cabinet next to the table, which was full of many differently colored rectangular discs.

"Go ahead, choose a move and I'll find it from my Program Disc cabinet. Then we'll have the helmet teach you the move."

Dan gave him the first move that came to mind. "Blaze Kick?"

Porygon scanned the ranks of his shelves until he found a red disc, then plugged it into the back of Dan's helmet. Immediately, the headwear sprang to life, emitting many different whirring noises as it read the Blaze Kick disc. The helmet suddenly filled Dan's head with step-by-step instructions on how to execute the move.

"The helmet will adjust the style of the move by taking into account your body shape, type, and fighting style," clarified Porygon.

And just as Porygon pointed out, the helmet told Dan how to convert his electric energy into heat and then fire. It also noted that, due to Dan's tiny Pichu paws, the move should be more of a spinning dropkick with both feet.

Dan was overwrought with excitement. "Is there anything I can try out Blaze Kick on?"

Porygon nodded and brought Dan out into a courtyard in which various scarecrow-like dummies were scattered, standing dully. Dan rushed at one immediately, built up speed, and leaped at it. He oriented himself, spinning in a barrel roll, to where his back legs were facing the dummy. His legs flared with flame, and when the collision occured, the dummy had been kicked in half and each piece was engulfed in fire.

"Wow," commented Dan, amazed at what he was able to do just now. "That wasn't hard at all! That helmet is amazing!"

"Yes," agreed Porygon, "Electric-types can learn Fire type moves fairly easily because electricity can generate heat. Now, the only drawback to a Tutor Helmet..." He pressed an eject button on the back of the helmet and the Program Disc popped out, blackened and smoking. "It fries the disc that you use. Oh well, it's not excrutiatingly difficult to produce more discs. Let's move on."

As Porygon continued giving his tour, Dan passed a round object securely protected by a glass case. It appeared to be a large round bomb striped with different shades of cyan. "What is this?" asked Dan.

"That's an Ice Bomb," stated Porygon. "It's extremely experimental. I haven't tested that one successfully yet. Just leave it be."

Dan shrugged and followed Porygon into a very large room. This one was filled with huge devices that ominously stretched to the roof. One device had a giant ring of metal with an adjacent control panel, and another had two chambers. "This is where I work on all of my important devices," Porygon said. "This first one is the Teleporter, and the one next to it is the Molecular Matcher. The Teleporter is self-explanitory, but it still has a few flaws to be worked out. We'll skip that one for now. The Molecular Matcher is my most recent accomplishment: put an object in the first chamber and the machine copies the molecular composition to the object in the second. I can set it to copy whatever elements I choose it to."

Dan stared at the machine in awe. Is that a fact? He could clone himself! But, cutting his thoughts short, the Scanglasses he was still wearing beeped and displayed some information.

_Name: ??_

_Origin: DN2; Imposing Mountains_

_Forms: 1) Egg P304_

_Possessions: None of interest_

_Strong Point: Sneak Attacks_

_Weak Point: Battle Strategy_

Porygon had heard the beeping. "What's going on, Dan?"

Dan raised his eyebrow. "I'm picking up some kind of Egg with 304 Power. What the heck?"

And right at that moment, something flopped onto Dan's Scanglasses! Luckily there was something shielding his eyes. Dan swatted the glasses off of him and noticed Evil Fried Eggs had assaulted him! He looked at Porygon and realized that a second egg had attacked him as well. Porygon ran around blindly, slamming his head into walls to try and free himself from the burning agony. Dan took a step back and saw at least a dozen more, creeping across the floor and approaching them menacingly.

Dan prepared for battle. He tried Thundershocking the nearest egg. The conductivity of the other eggs made them take the attack as well, but it only darkened them and made them move faster. Porygon had barely managed to transfer the egg on his face to a nearby screwdriver and tossed it at the other eggs. He combined the elements of fire, ice, and lightning in a Tri Attack directed at the crowd. The fire and electricity made them hotter, and the ice did nothing. The eggs were getting dangerously close...

Dan decided to try jumping over them. This set them off like mouse traps, each one jumping in turn after Dan. Eggs flew everywhere! Porygon fled behind his Molecular Matcher impulsively. One of the eggs landed on top of the Teleporter, activating it and causing a black and white swirling vortex to materialize in the metal ring. Two others landed on top of the glass case containing the Ice Bomb. Yet another actually jumped high enough to reach the ceiling and stuck to it. Not a single one hit its desired target, however.

Dan tried to attack once again with electricity, shoveling volt after volt into the egg on top of the glass case, which looked like it was about to leap at him again. The egg became so hot that it exploded, as well as the egg next to it, releasing the bomb and rolling it onto the floor. Dan ignored this and realized that how to defeat those things for good was to overheat them!

Porygon watched nervously from behind his machine as Dan countered each Fried Egg flop with a Thundershock. One egg missed entirely and landed on top of the Ice Bomb, which started rolling towards the Teleporter. Dan spotted this and rushed at it, hitting the bomb directly with his new technique, Blaze Kick. The egg exploded, leaving the bomb relatively unharmed but sending it flying into the Teleporter's portal. That was the last of them.

Dan huffed and wheezed. "That was insane!" he exclaimed between breaths. "Where did all those eggs come from?!"

Porygon revealed himself from his hiding place. "The one we found before must've found a way to escape. Then it cloned itself in the Molecular Matcher... But what's puzzling me is... How could a mindless zombie yolk figure out how to work my machine?"

Dan and Porygon mentally worked over the possibilities of this mystery...

* * *

**Well, I'll just go right out and say that the Evil Fried Eggs alone do not know how to work complicated machinery like that...  
**


	10. Chapter 10: Impact

**Double digits. Yay. Enjoy it.**

* * *

Chapter 10: Impact

Dan and Porygon were just about to tell each other they hadn't a clue about the eggs when there came a knock on the door. Both of them went to it to greet Bob and Jennifer, each one with a large armful of crystals.

"I am Santa Nose and I bear stuff," said Bob. "And let me tell you, it wasn't easy."

Bob went on to inform the other two about what he and Jennifer went through--the lake, the city, Kyogre, the castle, the knights, and the fight. The story also mentioned the Ice Bomb. Porygon reasoned that the teleporter must have warped the bomb to their fight and saved their necks. Then Dan explained to Bob and Jennifer what happened with the fried eggs.

"...And eggs can't operate machinery!" finished Dan. "What the heck could've happened?"

"Perhaps they randomly pressed a few buttons and just happened to find the right way to clone themselves?" guessed Bob.

"Highly improbable," said Porygon. "The button combination that starts the cloning process is very long and complex, and one has to key in measurements that account for the molecular structure of the eggs."

"What if someone intelligent enough to work the machine snuck in and used it?" Jennifer brought up.

"My lab is guarded by a state-of-the-art intruder protection system!" said Porygon. "The only way anyone's getting in is through the front door, and that's only if they knock first and I let them in!"

"Let's drop it for now," said Bob. "We brought you those crystals."

"Oh, right. Come with me and we shall study them."

Porygon led the three into another room full of computer monitors, microscopes, and other fancy studying equipment. He placed a crystal on what appeared to be a 3D scanner, and pressed a button. The connected computer sparked to life as it revealed an electronic model of the crystal, along with a list of properties. The most notable figure was "_Energy Content: 122,371,447 eu_". Porygon stared. "These crystals contain a lot of energy!" he exclaimed, flabbergasted.

"Ok, cool, yeah, that's awesome," said Bob in a really dull voice. "The most awesomest thing ever. Suuuuuper." Dan slapped him in the nose to shut him up.

"I'm going to experiment with these in the back. Stay here, and please do not touch anything."

An hour later, Porygon came back into the room. Bob and Dan had found a holographic chess board and were playing each other. Jennifer watched silently.

"Hey, didn't I tell you not to touch anything?" scolded Porygon.

"Hey, we got bored," said Bob as Dan captured his bishop with a rook.

"Check!" cried Dan proudly.

"Well...I suppose it's all right if it was just this chess board. Anyway, take a look at these..." Porygon presented a necklace, bracelet, and ring that were all made out of the crystals brought in earlier. "I made these to thank you for helping me with this milestone in research. These crystals are a very efficient replacement for the power source of most of my machines. When you wear this jewelry, the crystals will supply you with additional energy that will help you in battle!"

"Neat!" said Bob. "That helps."

"Hello, I said CHECK!!" shouted an impatient Dan.

"Shut your trap. We just got stuff and now that game doesn't matter."

Dan studied the board. Most of Bob's pieces had been eliminated from the board, and it looked like Dan would win in a few more moves. "...No fair!"

Porygon also presented three of his devices: a pair of Scanglasses, a Thief Hammer, and a Tutor Helmet. "And these are for helping me with those fried eggs. Man, I hate those things."

Everyone dug into the prize pool. Jennifer took the crystal necklace, donning it with satisfaction, and also grabbed the Thief Hammer, protecting it from Bob's grasp. Dan slipped the ring onto one of his tiny fingers, and preferred to wear his own hat instead of the Tutor Helmet, so he also put on the Scanglasses. Bob reluctantly grabbed the Tutor Helmet and put on the bracelet, fitting it over his solid arm.

"Well, thanks for all the great stuff," said Bob, "but I think we're going to head on. I'm sure we'll find something cool up ahead."

"All right, and thank you for all your patronage!"

The newly-equipped heroes bid farewell to the friendly scientist. They walked back to the intersection from before and took the North path, the one that led to the distant mountains. After a short hike, they found themselves stopped by a very large black and white obstacle that took up the entire width of the road. It snored a loud, nasal snore that echoed all over the forest. Two large feet protruded from the great round belly of the Snorlax. Dan looked at the Snorlax and his Scanglasses followed their programming...

_Name: Snorlax_

_Origin: DN2; Grass Town_

_Forms: 1) Snorlax P2294_

_Possessions: Large quantities of assorted berries_

_Strong Point: Sudden bursts of strength and endurance_

_Weak Point: An everlasting urge to get as much sleep as possible_

"We have to find a way to wake him up," said Dan. "And then when the path is clear, we better run like heck or he might eat us."

"Leave it to me!" exclaimed Bob. "I can wake anyone up! ...But first I'll need a bugle."

Dan quickly dashed backwards to the area they had come from before they encountered the intersection for the first time.

"I guess he's going to the Random Tree," said Bob.

Jennifer suddenly remembered when she first met Bob and Dan... She remembered the objects that they got from the random tree. Surely there would be a bugle there, for whatever Bob was planning...

But in the meantime, Bob proceeded to kick the behemoth multiple times in his tremendous tummy. Like a giant puddle of Jello, the stomach wiggled, but did not transfer any movement to its owner's head. The snores continued.

"Ok then..." said Bob, rolling up his pretend sleeves. "Let's do the Rock Rocket."

Jennifer at first waited to see what Bob meant, but she realized that he was expecting input from her. "...What do you mean?" she asked, clueless.

"You know, the psychic missle that we pulled off during the castle fight. I'm naming all of our awesome team moves. Like for example, the Thunder Hub is the one where Dan sits on top of me and fuels my Discharge."

Jennifer shrugged. "Whatever you want, Bob." She lifted the Nosepass and tossed him into the air, where he hovered for a few seconds above the belly of the sleeping beauty and was dropped shortly after. Bob bounced like on a trampoline, and Snorlax didn't budge.

"Whee!" cried the carefree Bob. He seemed to forget that he was on a mission...

And then Dan returned with a crooked trumpet he had obtained. "Here, Nosey, I got your bugle. Is this good enough?"

Bob glanced at the trumpet and nodded. Dan tossed to him, and Bob caught it while keeping his bounce. Then Bob began to play. Dan and Jennifer were expecting something half-decent, but instead it was terribly worse. Bob's noted squealed and screeched like dying pigs, tearing through everyone's eardrums and penetrating the very center of the mind. Dan and Jennifer were rolling on the ground, clutching their ears as if they were leaking uncontrollably and howling in pain (well, more Dan than Jennifer anyway; she was just crouched into a small ball).

Was this enough to wake the Snorlax? Oh sure it was! But he didn't seem to mind much. He simply sat up, stopping Bob's perish song in its tracks and eating the nearest loose object he could find...Dan's hat. He then went right back to sleep.

Dan was speechless with sudden rage and an expression that looked like it belonged on a mad cow. Coarsing with electricity, he rammed as many times as he could into the Snorlax. Each time he crashed into the massive wall of fat, it grunted and became more and more uncomfortable. At the peak of Dan's fury, he delivered such a huge Blaze Kick and Thunder combo that the Snorlax took off in _flight_! The supersized snoozer became an itty bitty dot in the clouds in an unnaturally quick display.

Bob's eyes almost outgrew his nose. Jennifer simply fainted from shock. The purple pirate hat slowly and silently fell from the sky, and Dan calmly caught it on his head, adjusted it, and took a step towards the opposite side of the path.

"...Let's go."

* * *

**Moral: DON'T TOUCH THE HAT.  
**


	11. Chapter 11: The Nosey Observer

**I'm back. What did I miss?**

* * *

Chapter 11: The Nosey Observer

Everyone pulled themselves together rather quickly. To everyone's disappointment, the previous event was actually a series of coincidences. Snorlax are, by far, the most heavy sleepers of the Pokemon world, and would not awaken from anything other than a Poke Flute or a Bob Bugle. Dan's repeated attacks were not actually causing the beast discomfort; it was actually Gengar hiding in the bush using Nightmare. Dan was able to kick Snorlax so far and hard because this Snorlax in particular liked devouring helium-filled balloons, and in fact, the beast weighed no more than 100 pounds. The only reason Jennifer fainted was because that mischevious Gengar had sneakily used Hypnosis behind everyone's back. As a result, Bob had to carry her in Dan's usual riding spot on top of his head. This made Dan rather upset, and he stomped alongside Bob without saying much of anything.

And thus, when the trio arrived at Grass Town, Jennifer was sleeping like a baby, Dan was stomping like a Tyranitar, and Bob was acting like a...well, himself.

Grass Town was a calm little village. Small huts lined the narrow and humble paths, and occasionally a Pokemon or two would be seen strolling lazily about them. In the square, there were many shops, stalls, and booths which were visited by eager and happy shoppers. All kinds of things were sold there: Berries, accessories, mystical items, assorted sweets, gadgets... There were even a few stalls where one could gamble a bit for interesting prizes. Bob noticed one immediately which had three two-foot tall cups sitting behind it, upside down, and he was interested. He rushed over to see what the game was about.

The game was run by a very enthusiastic-looking Slowking, and was currently being played by an even more excited Pachirisu. The Slowking was using telekinesis to mix up the cups. "The one on the left," said the Pachirisu excitedly, pointing it's little paw at the chosen container. Slowking lifted the cup and a Dunsparce was revealed under it. The discovered Dunsparce gave a cry of disappointment.

"Winner!" shouted the Slowking in a voice not unlike a game-show host's. "Now, that's three straight wins--what a sharp eye! But remember, if you can win two more times in a row, you get the Super-Fabulous Grand Prize! But if you lose, you go home empty-handed! And of course, you can quit now and keep the ¶200 you already won! What do you say?"

"Yeah! Yeah! Must win big prize!!" chittered the little squirrel.

"I call next game!!" shouted Bob, rivaling the Pachirisu's level of enthusiasm. Dan groaned. Jennifer kept on snoozing.

"And you may very well have it, my friend!" acknowledged the Slowking. Without Dan, this would be such an optimism fest... "Now, let's get started with round 4!" He mixed the cups again, this time with quite a bit of speed. Even Pachirisu's hyper eyes could not follow easily where Dunsparce was hiding. His smile started to distort.

"Um...middle?" said the poor squirrel nervously. Bob was just about to tell him differently when Slowking suddenly lifted the empty middle cup.

"Oh...so sorry!" said Slowking. "But Dunsparce was in this cup." He lifted the one on the right and Dunsparce waved. "Better luck next time!" Pachirisu slumped and walked away sadly. This lad didn't look more than 8 years old...

But Bob was ready as ever. "My turn!" he squealed. "How much?" He gently set Jennifer on the ground.

"It's only ¶20 per game! What a cheap price, eh? So, care to play?"

Bob stared at the ¶ symbol two lines above in confusion, then read a little ahead in the story to find out that over the course of his journey so far, he was for some odd reason slowly getting an income of about ¶10 an hour which was stored in his nose (due to lack of pockets). He withdrew ¶20 and handed it eagerly to the game master. (Hey, this is a weird dimension. Don't criticise the Creator's methods!)

"All right, here we go, round and round she goes!"

The cups mixed around in a steady and simple pattern. Dan scoffed and muttered something about mindless gambling. When Slowking was finished, Bob immediately pointed out the cup on the right. The cup was lifted and there was Dunsparce.

"Not a bad start!" complimented Slowking. "You've won ¶50 so far...but there are far greater prizes ahead if you keep going!"

Bob kept going. Jennifer yawned as if she was about to wake up, but continued her peaceful slumber. Dan started poking her.

Three rounds later, Bob was on a roll. He had survived all four preceding rounds without error, his alert eyes pinpointing every hiding place the land snake had been occupying. Finally, Slowking was about to begin the fifth round.

"You are a very observant Nosepass!" said Slowking in his usual excited fashion. "Your total earnings amount to ¶500! But remember, only by clearing five rounds will you earn the Super-Fabulous Grand Prize! What is your wish?"

Bob said without hesitation, "Let's keep going!"

Dan had to admit to himself that he was quite amazed at Bob's skill, but was it worth giving it another go? Perhaps they needed the money for some other supplies in this town? He decided to shrug it off and let Nose Man handle things.

Jennifer dreamed of wandering through a forest...

"Okey-dokey! Eyes on the prize, now, don't let it out of your sight!"

The cups slowly began to move around. Gradually, they picked up speed until they became one white blur, impossible to distinguish, and Slowking's eyes were a blinding purple. Finally, they all slowed down and stopped, and Slowking panted a bit from exhaustion. But he gave a confident smirk. "So...which cup contains the Dunsparce?"

Bob stared at the cups for a moment. Dan stared in awe. Jennifer passed a couple of thriving berry bushes...

Slowking seemed satisfied by Bob's difficulty. "So, do you give up yet?" he said rather impatiently. In his mind, there was no way that a player could get this one right...

...but that all changed when Bob said "He's not under a cup. He's hiding behind that building."

Slowking's jaw dropped. So did Dan's. Dunsparce poked its head out sheepishly from behind the indicated structure. "How did you notice?!" cried the outraged Slowking.

"I saw him crawl out from underneath a cup just before you started wildly shaking them about," said Bob matter-of-factly. "If anyone was allowed to undergo such intense movement, they would surely not survive."

Slowking muttered unspeakable words under his breath and handed Bob ¶1000 and a wrapped package. He retreated behind his stall and put up a sign with the simple 6 letters: "CLOSED".

Bob laughed victoriously. "Awww yeah!! I gots a big prize!" He held up the package for all who were watching to see. Unfortunately for his ego, it was only Dan and a curious Zigzagoon who happened to be at a neighboring stall.

Dan couldn't find anything to say except "So...what's in it?"

Bob unwrapped the package as Jennifer woke up calmly with a cute little yawn.

"Good morning," said Jennifer. Dan glared at her, still a bit upset...

Bob held up a can of lemonade. On the front was a bold symbol of a lightning bolt and a text label "Power Lemonade". Bob studied it with curiosity and looked at the back, where there were some "usage instructions". He began to read aloud:

"Power Lemonade, having been completely consumed by a single person, will induce evolution immediately regardless of Power or stature. Do not take simultaneously with a Shift Pill, Exchange Cookie, or any variety of Berry, as this may cause severe and unpleasant side-effects. Yadda yadda yadda." Bob skipped over the named side-effects, which looked pretty gruesome indeed, and opened the can.

"Whoa, hold it, Honker," cried Dan. "Maybe you don't deserve to evolve yet! There are others in this party you know!"

"But I won it," retaliated Bob.

"Well, I think you should let me drink it," said Dan. "If I can do this much as a Pichu, wait until I become a Pikachu!"

"But I won it," repeated Bob.

"You'll just become a stupid mindless Probopass."

"But I _won_ it."

"You'll have an annoying mustache and you won't be able to control your Mini-Noses responsibly."

"_But I won it!_"

"Stop fighting guys," said Jennifer, quite annoyed. "Maybe I should decide who gets it."

"There we go," agreed Dan with an over-confident tone, "put this important decision in the hands of a wise person."

"Bob should drink it."

"WHAT?!" yelled Dan immediately as Bob did a little song and dance. "Why _him_?!"

"Well for one thing, it's his; he won it. And another thing, I think defense is the key to this world. He'll be able to protect us against harsh attackers and such."

Dan froze for a moment, then found a way to avoid having a wrong idea. "...Hah! I knew it all along. Bob's the most deserving." Jennifer rolled her eyes. Bob drank the lemonade in a contently huge gulp.

Two seconds later, a white light had surrounded him, and his nose itched. It took him a little bit to realize that this was his mustache growing into place. He also felt a strange magnetic tug here and there and saw his Mini-Noses start to form. When the light ceased, he was a large-as-life Probopass. To show his happiness, he did a few aerial tricks with his nose units, and circled them around Dan a bit as a taunt. Dan swatted at them, and the laughing Bob pulled them away just in time.

"I'm cool now!" he declared.

"Yeah yeah..." mumbled Dan. "Let's just get on with our lives."

Dan avoided eye contact as Bob laughed again. Jennifer joined in with her miniscule giggle, and some of the bystanders stared and wondered what the heck was so funny.

* * *

**Oh boy...What more could Bob do to fool around with those Mini-Nose thingies?  
**


End file.
